(Motorsport-Total.com) – Mika Häkkinen considers the use of team orders in modern Formula 1 to be a delicate matter. The two-time world champion believes that the increased importance of driver fan bases has led teams to approach the topic of team orders much more sensitively.
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In an interview with Sky Sports News, Häkkinen explicitly warns teams against prematurely declaring a driver as number two in the title fight. “Which team will make such a change, what arguments will it give and explain to the fans? That will be an important factor,” said the Finn.
Formula 1 has changed in this regard. Drivers today have an enormous worldwide following, and this can turn against a team if the impression arises that a driver is being deliberately disadvantaged.
“If a team one day decides that this driver should be number two, the fans will crucify that team,” Häkkinen explains. Therefore, nowadays one must be “very careful about how such team orders are activated.”
Hamilton’s frustration understandable
How sensitive the topic is was recently shown at the Dutch Grand Prix. Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton was annoyed in Zandvoort that he was stuck behind teammate Charles Leclerc for too long. From his point of view, an earlier position swap might have brought the team more points.
At the same time, Mercedes demonstrated a different approach to the situation. George Russell was unequivocally instructed in the final phase to let his teammate Kimi Antonelli pass after Mercedes gave Antonelli a better position with a tire change. Russell accepted the decision afterwards and called it the right one.
Although Hamilton partially softened his criticism after the race and apologized for the tone of his comments on the radio and to the media, Häkkinen still considers the Briton’s initial reaction understandable.
“The emotions in Lewis’ experience were absolutely normal,” says the former McLaren driver. Behind it might not have been just emotion, but also sober racing logic, in this case: “We can get more points if you let me pass!”
Drivers see less than the team
Häkkinen sees a key reason for such conflicts in the fact that drivers in the cockpit no longer have the same information as those responsible at the pit wall or the viewers in front of the TV.
“When I watch the races from the outside nowadays and am in the paddock, it is different. You see much more, you get much more information about what is happening,” he explains. Drivers, on the other hand, receive “only a very small percentage of the information” available to the team and TV viewers.
A driver stuck immediately behind another car does not necessarily know all the calculations the team is making in the background. He may not know which tire strategies are being compared, which positions are likely in a few laps, or what impact an overtaking maneuver could have on the result of both cars.
“If they follow another car and it does not let them pass, they do not have the information and calculations that the team has,” says Häkkinen. Accordingly, there are always strong reactions from the cockpit.
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Häkkinen recalls Schumacher
The Finn can look back on his own experiences. During his McLaren time, Häkkinen fought among others against Michael Schumacher, who was clearly established as the number one driver at Ferrari for years.
Häkkinen won his two world championships in 1998 and 1999. In 2000, he had to concede to Schumacher, who won the first of five consecutive world titles with Ferrari.
From Häkkinen’s point of view, Ferrari was very early ready to establish the hierarchy within the team: “When I raced against Michael Schumacher, when he was at Ferrari, they already started with team orders at the first race of the season.”
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The approach was very clear: If a driver proves to be particularly strong and starts winning races and collecting points accordingly, a team that wants to win the world championship must consistently support this driver, so the credo. “Exactly that was what Michael Schumacher was able to achieve with Ferrari when he drove there,” Häkkinen recalls.
McLaren pursued a different philosophy
At McLaren, a different approach was followed. Häkkinen describes the strategy as balanced: Both drivers should initially get the same opportunities.
Only when the points distribution created a situation where one of the two drivers could no longer mathematically catch the other should the teammate actively support the championship leader. Häkkinen calls this approach a “matter of common sense.”
But today the situation is more complex because teams want to win both world championships at the same time. “The teams want to win the drivers’ championship and the constructors’ championship, they want to win both,” explains the two-time champion.
Therefore, it is important that both drivers “can deliver maximum performance at any time in every race.” This also changes the question of when a team should even name a clear number one. A team order can secure valuable points in the short term but at the same time cause significant image damage if fans get the impression that a popular driver is being sacrificed.
Antonelli with comfortable lead
The topic is likely to remain particularly relevant as the season progresses. After the race in Zandvoort, Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli leads the drivers’ standings ahead of his teammate George Russell and Hamilton. Lando Norris is behind them.
The next world championship round is the Italian Grand Prix in Monza on the weekend. After that follows the new Spain race in Madrid. The Madrid ring celebrates its Formula 1 premiere there from September 11 to 13. It is scheduled as the 14th race of the season.
The closer the title fight becomes, the greater the pressure on the teams to balance individual racing freedom and strategic team orders will likely be. Häkkinen’s message is clear: Team orders can make sporting sense, but in today’s Formula 1 a team must also be able to explain why it uses them.
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